Richard F. Caris
Mirror Lab Tours
ONGOING
The University of Arizona’s Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab produces some of the world’s largest telescope mirrors, combining expertise in physics, optics and advanced manufacturing. Located beneath Arizona Stadium, the facility helps enable astronomical discoveries through innovative mirror-making technology. Tours are offered Monday through Friday, with times available online.
Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab, 933 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, $25 adult tickets and $20 for students, various times, mirrorlab.arizona.edu
Mini Time Machine Museum
ONGOING
Explore a unique collection of 11 hand-painted die-cast model cars and miniature vehicles featured in the Arizona State Museum’s “Traditions in Motion” exhibition. Created by Native artists, the pieces showcase how Indigenous communities blend heritage and contemporary culture through customized vehicles and other forms of transportation. The exhibit highlights a dynamic artistic tradition that transforms everyday objects into expressions of identity, creativity and cultural pride.
The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures, 4455 E Camp Lowell Drive, Tucson, museum admission, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., theminitimemachine.org
‘Nosferatu’ (1922): Accompanied by the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ
OCT. 29
A surviving venue of the silent film era, Fox Tucson Theatre boasts the only restored mighty wurlitzer pipe organ in Southern Arizona. On the 29th, the theatre will screen F. W. Murnau’s cornerstone vampire film “Nosferatu” (1922), accompanied by a live, haunting and Gothic score by renowned organist Brett Valliant.
Fox Tucson Theatre, 7 W. Congress Street, 7:30 p.m., $18 admission, foxtucson.com
The Vampire Masquerade Ball
OCT. 30
Lace up for a gothic and dangerous night out at Brandylion House of Tea and Spirits. Set in a historic, 1907 house, the Oct. 30 Vampire Masquerade Ball will feature live performances, food, DJs and a midnight “ritual” fashion show. Masks are mandatory, fangs are recommended, and the dress code is formal Victorian Gothic.
Brandylion House of Tea and Spirits, 200 N. Court Avenue, 9 p.m., $20 advance admission, $30 at the door, tickets.brandylion.bar
Rock the Old Pueblo:
Battle of the Bands
OCT. 31
On Halloween day, ten young local music acts will go head to head in a battle of the bands presented by Tucson Federal Credit Union (TFCU) in partnership with La Rosa, Groundworks and Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers. Bands will perform one cover song and one original in front of a panel of judges. Winning groups might receive equipment, recording time, or an opportunity to play at AVA Amphitheater.
La Rosa, 800 N. Country Club Road, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $15 admission, larosatucson.org
Aki no Koe — ‘voices of autumn’: Koto and Shakuhachi Concert
OCT. 31
Join Tucson Botanical Gardens for its first concert at the recently reopened Yume Japanese Gardens and Museum, featuring Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto playing the koto, a 13-string plucked instrument, and local musician Paul Amiel on the shakuhachi, a bamboo flute. Together, Muramoto and Ameil will deliver an afternoon of Japanese musical traditions in a calming, intimate atmosphere.
Yume Japanese Gardens and Museum, 2130 N. Alvernon Way, $38 admission, $30 members, tucsonbotanical.org
‘Eureka Day’ at Invisible Theatre
NOV. 1-22
Join Invisible Theatre for a production of Jonathan Spector’s award-winning satirical play “Eureka Day,” running Nov. 1-22, directed locally by Amy Almquist. A cast of top-notch Tucson thespians will portray a private elementary school board that values radical inclusivity above all else until it has to reckon with a measles outbreak.
The Invisible Theatre, 1400 N. 1st Avenue, various times, various prices, invisibletheatre.com
Día de Muertos Procession
NOV. 2
This year marks the 26th anniversary of Tucson’s Día de Muertos Procession, an annual remembrance of the thousands of migrants who have died crossing the Sonoran-Arizona border region since 2000. Beginning at the Global Justice Center, participants will walk to El Tiradito, where there will be music, community altars, and food, as the group speaks aloud names of those lost.
Global Justice Center, 225 E. 26th Street, 5 p.m. (Arrival at El Tiradito at 7 p.m.), free, tucsonpeacecalendar.org
Paul Cauthen
‘Book of Paul’ Tour
NOV. 3
East Texas born singer-songwriter Paul Cauthen will make a triumphant return after a thyroid cancer diagnosis cut his 2025 tour short. At the November 3 show, Cauthen will perform his new, autobiographical album “Book of Paul,” in which the musician blends his Texan roots with outlaw country, New Orleans grease, and classic gospel sensibilities.
Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress Street, 8 p.m., from $37, rialtotheatre.com
Tucson Mountain Park Buffelgrass Removal
NOV. 4
Join the Sonoran Desert Weedwackers for a morning of removing invasive buffelgrass in Tucson Mountain Park. The group will hike off trail to dig up the plants with hand picks and digging bars, and pile the plants to decompose. The activity involves physically strenuous work including hiking off trail up and down hills on rocky slopes. Snacks and drinks will be provided.
Tucson Mountain Park, 8451 W. McCain Loop, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., free, preregistration required, desertmuseum.org
